Ann Carr

by Loyal Warrior

Elizabeth watched on as Duncan embraced his son, a million thoughts racing through her mind, contradicting the lack of movement in her body. What had just happened? One moment she had been sprawled out in some very cold mud, and in the next she had been engulfed in her husband’s heated embrace.

  She raised a shaking hand to her trembling lips, the very lips that had just been thoroughly ravaged in a way she never could have imagined. Just the thought of Duncan’s experienced lips pressed against her own was enough to have heat flooding through her body all over again.

  Sensing movement behind her, Elizabeth became all too aware of the people looking on. Wave after wave of embarrassment washed through her! Lord! Must everybody have to witness the fool she had just made of herself! Unable to take any more she spun around on her feet and marched through the crowd, head held high but too agitated to actually notice anything going on around her, she all but ran up the incline to the safety of the castle. Why, she asked herself, had she allowed Mrs MacTavish to persuade her to come down to the village this morning? Conveniently forgetting her own eagerness!

  Behind her, still kneeling beside the mud, Duncan watched his wife’s angry back marching away from him unable to control the spreading grin on his face. Indeed, he thought, life with his new wife was not going to be dull!

  “Come, Ewan. Ye can show me all the changes of the village since I was last home”.

  Laughing at the surprised, yet eager look that came over his son, he put all his attention into the village for the next hour or so. It would do her good to stew for a while he thought with some devilment!

  Chapter Sixteen

  Breathing heavily, Elizabeth tried to catch her breath as she passed through the castle gates at a brisk walk.

  During her mad dash home she had been able to work off her anger but was now left with the predicament of walking through the castle yards looking no better than the squirming pig Ewan had been attempting to catch.

  Trying to slip through without being noticed would be useless she’d concluded, so keeping her pace, she quickly swept passed everyone who happened to be in her way; not stopping until she rounded the back of the castle into the small kitchen courtyard, where she approached the small water trough.

  Shuddering with the prospect of allowing the frigid water to touch her skin, Elizabeth took in a deep, calming breath before bending down to fill the wooden bucket with the ice cold water.

  “Elizabeth!” she jumped as the voice boomed out behind her, “What has happened to ye?” Mrs MacTavish raced out of the kitchen door and was clutching her hand in concern in no time.

  “Oh!” Elizabeth spun around in surprise, “it’s nothing Mrs MacTavish, I’m just trying to wash some of this mud off of me before I come indoors“, she evaded.

  “Perhaps, but how did ye get in that state in the first place?” the older lady brooked no argument. When Mrs MacTavish wanted answers she was bull headed enough to make sure that she got them. Now her mouth dropped open as realisation dawned on her, “No, dinnae tell me! I’ll bet that young Ewan had something to do with all of this! And to think I was just telling Mrs Fisher in the kitchen, how well he’d been behaving this past month. Why his father would have been so proud....”

  “No Mrs MacTavish!” Elizabeth cut in, “It’s not what you’re thinking! Yes Ewan was involved, but it wasn’t his fault; and he wasn’t doing anything that he shouldn’t have been. It was all just an accident! Really! Nobody was to blame in any way!” she entreated.

  “Hmm” Mrs MacTavish muttered loudly, clearly not fully believing what she was being told, “we’d better get ye cleaned up and dry before ye catch a chill!”

  Taking the bucket of icy water which Elizabeth had balanced on the side of the trough, she poured it over Elizabeth’s dirty hands to wash them. Setting the bucket on the ground next to her feet, Mrs MacTavish bent down to loosen the laces in Elizabeth’s boots with economical haste.

  “Oh, I can do that!” Elizabeth declared in embarrassment, trying to step back, but Mrs MacTavish pulled her feet back to where she wanted them.

  “Dinnae be silly child, I’m down here now, just let me finish!” Hearing mild annoyance in the other woman’s voice, Elizabeth deemed it best to obey without another word. When the laces were loosened Mrs MacTavish washed her own hands before nudging Elizabeth towards the door leading into the big kitchen. Leaving Elizabeth to pull her boots off she went ahead to make preparations for a warm bath to be prepared in the master bedroom.

  Popping her head back out of the door she asked, “am I to assume that wee Ewan will be coming home in a similar state?”

  Smiling up, Elizabeth nodded, adding as she walked up the steps, “and his pig!”

  Dumbfounded for a split second, Mrs MacTavish quickly pulled herself back together, trying valiantly to hide the smile which was beginning to tug up her lips. Shaking her head she shared in Elizabeth’s humour, “will that bairn ever cease to surprise me? Where did he get a pig from? No! Dinnae tell me! I’d rather not know!”

  Laughing quietly to herself, Elizabeth followed her towards the back staircase which would lead them up to the bedrooms on the floor above. “It’s a good job Lord Duncan isnae here to whiteness all of this. Heaven knows what he would think!”

  “Actually,” Elizabeth inserted, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, “Duncan’s home and he happened to see everything!”

  Not fooled by Elizabeth’s casual tone Mrs MacTavish smiled knowingly to herself. So things around this old home were just about to become interesting. “Well, we’ll better get ye all cleaned up before ye see him again!” And she opened the door to Elizabeth’s room.

  A little while later Elizabeth was out of her wet clothes, lying back against the wooden bathtub, her cold body happily engulfed in the warm, lavender scented water of her bath. It took a good ten minutes for her body to release the tension which had built up since that fraught meeting with her husband a short while ago but slowly the thoughts racing through her mind began to drift away.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Leaning against the doorway, arms folded across his chest, Duncan took a few moments to stand and admire his wife. Not long before he had returned to the castle with Ewan, who had quickly been whisked away by Mrs MacTavish for a bath much to his disgust. Eager to see Elizabeth and feeling he had given her enough time to cool down from their last meeting; Duncan had come directly to his bedroom. He didn’t get passed the doorway because even he had not been prepared for the vision that he had encountered upon entering.

  Quickly his eyes scanned all around the room, which had been his since his father’s death ten years before. He could never have imagined that this room could look so...so...feminine! The changes were subtle, but they were there. Elizabeth’s presence was everywhere; in the wild flowers that were artfully displayed in pretty vases randomly dotted around the room, in the nightgown folded neatly on top of the bed, in the delicate ivory brush that his wife used to comb her hair. Everywhere he looked he noticed endless objects and items belonging to Elizabeth. The contrasting feminine presences should have been totally at odds with the solid, dark, masculine furniture, but he couldn’t miss how well they actually complimented each other.

  Perhaps the most feminine image of all, the image that his eyes were now riveted to, was that of Elizabeth herself. For in the middle of the room, in a haze of sensual steam, she was lying back in the wooden bathtub, clearly relaxed.

  Unable to keep his distance any longer Duncan stepped lightly towards his wife so as not to warm her of his presence. As he neared he could feel the heat from the steam engulf his body, and the scent of lavender in the air swirl around his senses. Intoxicated by the sight and smells before him, Duncan knelt down beside the bathtub at Elizabeth’s shoulder. When he got none of the maidenly squeals he was eagerly anticipating, he leaned in closer and discovered that she was peacefully sleeping. Her delicate eyelashes lay resting on the top of her now rosy cheeks; her soft pink lips were parted as she slowly exhaled
a long breath.

  Wanting to touch; no, needing to touch, he reached out a large hand and tenderly touched her baby soft cheeks with his rough finger tips. His pulse began to race as she instinctively turned her face into his caress, resting her lips in his open palm. Unable to help himself he leaned his body in over the bathtub until he could rest his lips gently against hers, causing an involuntary sigh to escape from her sweet lips, encouraging him all the more until he slowly used his tongue to taste the hidden secrets of her mouth. Not satisfied with this lack of response, Duncan deepened the kiss and more boldly caressed her slim neck; and then waited.

  “What...?” Elizabeth gasped in confusion, quickly sitting bold upright, splashing water over all sides of the tub and practically drowning Duncan in the process. Sitting back on his heels, Duncan’s eyes twinkled as he watched the myriad expressions cross Elizabeth’s face.

  At first Elizabeth couldn’t comprehend what was happening; the last thing she remembered was leaning back in the bathtub letting the warm water wash away the tension still pulsing through her quivering body. Obviously she had drifted into sleep, for how long she had no idea, but judging by the steam still floating off the water it couldn’t have been very long at all.

  Dumfounded, she met the laughter shining out of Duncan’s eyes. Still too stunned to be shocked she remained sitting in front of him, not a muscle moving, naked. Naked! Oh my gosh! she thought, her mind becoming a hive of activity. Quickly she used her arms as a meager cover, fighting to regain some dignity in this awkward situation she now found herself in.

  A startled squeak crossed her lips as she watched him lean forward so that he now rested both elbows on the side of the tub. Pinning her gaze with his own, very slowly he dipped one hand gently into the water to softly caress her curved knee. An involuntary groan escaped his lips as he finally found himself touching the flesh that he had been fantasizing about for what seemed like an eternity.

  The tingles shooting up her thigh from his touch quickly brought Elizabeth back to her senses, not understanding the feelings he was creating in her she quickly grabbed hold of his wrist, intending to push his hand back out of the water but not succeeding. He was too strong and stubbornly refused to move his hand. Instead he gentle squeezed her thigh in warning, causing more pleasurable sensations to course up her leg. It was frustration not anger which quickly brought her to her knees, one hand splayed across her breasts, hiding them from his gaze.

  “What are you doing in my room?” she demanded, she’d managed to disengage his hand from her body when she had risen and now staring eye to eye with Duncan she demanded a reply.

  “Nothing! This is my room!” Laughter washed over him as he watched her digest that bit of information.

  “But... But this is the room I woke up in! This is where I have been sleeping since I arrived here” she blustered, not quite knowing whether or not to believe his words. Animated now, in her argument, Elizabeth quite forgot that she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing, her arms moved in her defense.

  “Aye, this is where I brought ye the first day, and it’s where I intended for ye to stay now that I’m home.” He calmly explained, enjoying the view before him.

  “So if this is now my room, where will you be staying?” she asked, not wanting to know the answer, afraid that she already did.

  “Here”, he confirmed, and at her deflated look he again leaned in and gently kissed her lips, enjoying himself endlessly. “So sweetheart, ye might as well get used to my presence and finish yer bath”, he encouraged, softly pushing her back into the water.

  Elizabeth leaned back against the tub, she had never before found herself in such a situation and so wasn’t quite sure what she should do. Instinct told her she shouldn’t allow this to continue, that she should put up some sort of a fight, demand that he leave, common sense told her that fighting would be futile and her heart knew that she didn’t want him to leave at all. Indeed, since she had regained consciousness she had eagerly been awaiting the return of her husband. She had no doubt that he had saved her life on the day of their wedding by speedily bringing her here; she owed her life to him. However that was not the reason she had been so eager to meet him again, every time she closed her eyes she saw him, it was as if his image was burned into the back of her eyelids. Every morning, she woke up out of a sensual dream where his arms were embracing her as they had that day when she had rode before him on his horse.

  Not knowing what was expected of her, and feeling shy of his gaze, Elizabeth lay unmoving in the cooling water, unable to tear her eyes away from him. Oh but he was beautiful, she thought, such a big and powerful man, but already in their short acquaintance she knew that he hid a much gentler side. She found the combination of power and gentility intoxicating, a heady mix of contradictions. The look of desire in his eyes sent tiny waves of heat shooting through her body. Anticipation of his next move kept her spellbound before him.

  Duncan recognised the beginnings of desire forming in Elizabeth, hiding behind her fear and embarrassment and his heart seemed to skip a beat, this was more than he could have hoped for. Wanting to get the embarrassing part over with as quickly as possible, he rose and unfastened his sword. He lay it down on the floor, and then stood up again hands going to the fastening of his clothes.

  Watching the movement of his hands, Elizabeth managed to stutter, “what eh...what are you doing?”

  “Joining ye!” Slowly he shed his cloths, knowing that her eyes were taking in every detail. Lastly he began to unwrap his kilt....

  Mesmerized Elizabeth watched as Duncan gradually revealed his body to her, her mouth went dry as she gazed upon his shoulders, biceps, chest, stomach... “Eek!” she exclaimed sinking deeper into the water and dunking her head behind her before her gaze could move lower. Calm down! Calm down! was her mantra as she held her breath under water, not trusting herself to resurface just yet.

  Chuckling to himself, Duncan threw his kilt to the floor and quickly stepped into the tub at her feet. Bending at the waist he leaned down and taking hold of her under the arms pulled her up into a sitting position before him.

  Spluttering Elizabeth sat up, coughing from the water she had swallowed in shock at his first touch. It wasn’t until she had regained her breath that she realised she was looking at his, at his... Groaning in mortification she lowered her head into her hands. Oh! could this get any more embarrassing she thought. The laughter coming from the man opposite her did little to ease her suffering.

  Unable to control his laughter, for the look on her face had been priceless; Duncan sat down in the tub so that they were both facing each other, legs curled up in front of them. Taking her hands, he waited until she looked at him and said, “Come on sweetheart, ye had to see it at some point. Now that ye have ye’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  “Maybe, but did it have to be like that?” she asked in exasperation, hands slapping down into the surface of the water.

  Chuckling, he replayed, “probably not, but I had little choice when I thought ye were drowning yerself!”

  “Oh!” Did he have an answer for everything, she thought in frustration.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded as he somehow managed to squeeze his legs on either side of her, between her body and the tub.

  “Ye do have an annoying habit of asking the obvious, my love” he ignored her question, reaching into the water to wrap his long fingers around her tiny ankles and drag them up into his lap.

  As she tried to tug them free, he soothed “just relax. I’ll not do anything ye dinnae want me to do”, he declared.

  She looked at him for endless moments out of enormous blue eyes, and eventually whispered, “Promise?”

  Nodding he smiled encouragingly and taking the washcloth he lathered it with the lavender scented soap and began to slowly wash her legs. It didn’t take long for Elizabeth to relax into the delicious sensations that he was creating everywhere he touched. Leaning back against the tub, she closed her eyes and let her
mind give way to feelings. “mm” he had magical hands and she moaned as they played with the delicate skin behind her knees.

  Watching her, listening to the little moans that escaped from her lips excited him more than the practiced skills of his usual women ever had. Leaning forward he brought the wash cloth over her hips, across her flat stomach and up to her chest.

  The wash cloth circling her breasts was like sweet torture, wanting more but not knowing how to get it she opened her eyes beseechingly to meet Duncan’s hot gaze. One hand came up to gently play with her breast sending pleasure shooting through her at his skilled touch. Without taking his gaze from hers he lowered his head and circled the nipple of her other breast with his hot tongue.

  Her skin felt on fire everywhere he touched, her nipples hardened with desire and he dipped his head lower taking the hard pebbled nipple into his mouth to suckle. Groaning loudly, unable to stop herself, not caring that he heard her surrender, Elizabeth’s bones began to melt and her head sank back over the side of the tub exposing the elegant line of her long throat.

  As he moved his head to give the same attention to her other sweet breast, slowly, carefully, he lowered his hand over her stomach and lower, running his fingers through the curling hair between her legs until he found the soft opening he was searching for. Letting out his own groan he almost collapsed on top of her then and there, his fingers caressed the heart of her femininity, skilfully playing with her small nub of pleasure, before tentatively dipping one finger into her tight core.

  When he touched her it was as though an electric shock passed through her body, raising her legs up around him, Elizabeth wanted more but didn’t know how to take it. Duncan moved slightly so that his mouth could explore the tender skin of her neck, enjoying the wriggling body beneath him, knowing what she was asking for but not quite ready to give it to her yet, there was still more of her he wanted to explore first.